City Of Treasure Island, Florida Votes To Up Tax Rate And More

The city of Treasure Island, a small island community off the coast of St

. Petersburg, Florida, adjacent to St. Pete Beach and Madeira Beach, has voted to up the tax rate .45 mills in order to pay for the reconstruction fees for two of the citys bridges that connect three islands that make up the city of Treasure Island.

The new tax, which amounts to 3.1368 mills, takes effect at the beginning of the 2012 fiscal year. The city will then use tax-exempt loans to fund the construction and repairs of the birdges. Currently, the Isle of Capri and Isle of Palms bridges need repairs, along with the refurbishing the island Beach Trail, a popular place where locals and vacationers venture for a sunset stroll. These projects, together, will cost Treasure Island residents $5.5 million. The city will collect over $300,000 in tax revenue yearly from the increase.

Another benefit of the tax, aside from bridge construction and repairs, is that it will up the values of property in the area, including the increasingly large number of seasonal homes and condominiums owned by out-of-towners. In the last few years, property values in the area have gone down.

The Treasure Island City Commission voted 4-1 to pass the tax so not all were in favor of the tax. Not all are in favor of the citys increased budget either, which at $22.5 million is nearly 26% higher than the 2011 budget of $17.9 million.

City Commissioners say the bridges, which connect the two smaller islands, Isle of Capri and Isle of Palms to the main portion of Treasure Island, must be repaired. In fact, they say they cant wait any longer. Those islands feature mostly private residential properties although there are some commercial properties there too.

The tax rate is just one of several moves the City Commission made recently that have drawn complaints among the people of Treasure Island, who like other homeowners in America, are facing foreclosure.

Their bone to pick with the local government stems from the city ordinance banning open containers on the public beaches for the second consecutive year. The ban is not active from October to February, which is considered slow season for the area, when not many visitors come and even the locals dont visit the beaches nearly as much. During the season, its Saturday, Sunday, and on select holidays from 8 am to 6 pm, although theres a proposal to shave off two hours and allow beach-goers to drink starting at 4 pm.

by: Laine McKenna

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